Putting on a good show, even your first show!
Sep 26 2009
Almost every time I go to a horseshow, particularly local open shows, I see one or more exhibitors who skipped Show Prep 101. Their horse isn’t clipped and sometimes isn’t even clean. They aren’t sure what classes they are in and they’re not too sure about what lead they’re on, either. 99 times out of 100, these people will then scream bloody murder when they don’t get a ribbon, complain that shows are all political, that only the rich people/kids win, blah blah blah.
(I’ve been dying to make this point about horse show politics: If your horse who usually gets excellent ribbons comes home empty-handed despite having good rides, that might be politics. When your horse goes to five shows in a row and doesn’t do squat, it is time to accept that nothing unfair has taken place, you’re just not competitive. Might be because of your horse’s quality, might be because of lack of training, might be because the two of you just aren’t clicking as a team yet. But it’s not politics.)
Check out the picture below:
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This is a cute horse, in good weight. No sign of anything but good care here, but he’s not at all ready for a horseshow! He has rubbed out parts of his mane so that the length is all over the place, but the shortest part is actually perfectly fine for the pulled, banded mane he ought to have in this class. How much prettier would his neck – obviously not his best feature – look if that effort had been made? Shaggy fetlocks further detract from his appearance, and he has not been taught (or the exhibitor doesn’t know how) to square up so that he looks his best.Â
The purple halter, well, I’ll cut enough slack to say that maybe it is a schooling show, in which case a casual halter is acceptable. Would a leather halter look better, even without any decoration? Absolutely.Â
I’m the first one to object when anything cruel is done to a horse to give it the right look in the show ring. Tail blocking is absolutely unacceptable in my book, as is plastic surgery of any kind, ginger, etc. But clippers are a painless way to give a horse a neat appearance – it’s like bothering to shave before you go to a job interview if you’re a guy. Why wouldn’t you? Who wants to look scruffy when you are being judged?Â
(I should note it is entirely possible this picture was taken at a foundation quarter horse show, which I think of as an un-show. FQHA rules forbid things like clipping or nice tack or show clothes, so basically I don’t know what they are showing off. Not how well they ride, because they also forbid equitation or horsemanship classes. I’m not sure what the reasoning is behind this. It reminds me of spelling bees where no one wins because they do not want to make the losers feel bad.)
So what about all of you who want to get it right? I often see people post to ask what they should know/do/wear at their first horse show. They may be the parents of a child who wants to start showing, or adults who have decided they’d like to try something competitive with their horse. Here are some tips if you’re in that position:
1. Go to the type of show you want to compete at without your horse. Take some notes about the classes, what people are wearing, what kind of tack they are using, and how the classes run. Try to pick winners and see if you can tell what is impressing the judge(s).Â
2. Learn the rules. Most open shows have the rules printed on the show bill. A breed show will go by the breed association’s rules, almost always available online. Shows approved by USEF (the United States Equine Federation) use their rules. Take the rules seriously – the judges do, and you can and will be eliminated for things like the wrong bit, a martingale in a flat class, illegal spurs, etc. Make sure you have all the paperwork you need – is your horse registered and in your name? Do you need a Coggins test? Do you need an amateur card? Nothing’s more disappointing than getting to a show and not being able to show because of a paperwork problem.Â
3. If you want to be original, go in the costume class. 
 In other classes, the more you look like everybody else out there, the better – particularly when you are learning. Off the wall or unusual clothing or tack just draws attention to your mistakes.Â
4. If your horse is new to showing also, plan to take him to a show that you may not show at. Just ride around the warm up ring and get him used to the sights and sounds. Make sure he will not kick or otherwise misbehave in a crowd. If you know kicking may be an issue, a red ribbon tied into his tail is a warning to other exhibitors to give you your space (and is often useful on horses that do not kick but are explosive to ride when someone rushes them from behind!)
5. Be courteous to other exhibitors. If your horse is higher than a kite, try to find a place to longe where you are not in others’ way – ask to see where it is okay to longe on that particular show grounds. Longeing a bronc in the warm up ring will not make you popular. Always give the right of way to beginners, small children, and driving horses pulling carts. It is your job to stay out of their way. At many shows, the warm up ring is required to go in one direction only, with riders asking for the whole ring to reverse when needed. If you see everybody going counter-clockwise, don’t just start going the other way. And for heaven’s sake, be aware of who is around you. It is the height of bad manners to slam on the brakes and start backing up without looking to ensure no one is following you. Come OFF the rail to “school.” If you are jumping, always call your lines out – tell the rest of the arena what you are going to jump so they know to avoid you. Â
6. Even if you don’t normally ride full-time with a trainer, it is well worth it to have one help you at your first shows. You will feel so much better with a pro that you can ask for help, and they will help you learn the ropes. Many trainers will be your trainer for the day for a price. If you know that you are gonna freak out and forget how to tell your leads, it’s awesome to have someone on the rail giving you the nod that you got it right. Well worth the $50 or so it will cost you.Â
7. Don’t over-do it at your first show. Yes, I know a lot of open shows have that special where you pay X price and can go in as many classes as you want. That’s not for you if you or your horse is green to showing, and it’s not true that if you go in enough classes, eventually you’ll win a ribbon. More likely you’ll fry your horse’s brain and you’ll be super frustrated as well.  Go in one or two classes, the ones where you are matched against your peers in terms of ability and experience. Most shows have classes specifically for beginner teams - in particular, look for “maiden” classes at an open show, which are for horse/rider teams that have never won a first place ribbon.
In general, be under-zealous – if you’re jumping 3′ at home, the 2’3 division is just fine for your first show. You want to have a successful experience. It’s fine to make it “too easy” at first – you can and will work your way up!
8. Keep it fun! I particularly hate seeing kids stressed out about showing…at, like, age eight. One way you can avoid that is to go to shows that offer some fun classes like egg & spoon, costume or musical sacks, and let the kid do something fun after the “work” of pleasure and equitation is over. I’ve seen many a distraught child who didn’t get a ribbon earlier in the day win big in one of the fun games and wind up super excited and thrilled about showing. The same goes for you, Mom – if your horse wouldn’t slow down in pleasure, maybe today’s the day you win the trotting barrels. Have some fun, for heaven’s sake – remember, this is an expensive hobby that you do for fun!Â
(I LOVE shows that have trotting speed classes. You can take your pleasure horses in them with no fear of “ruining” them and you don’t have to be a great rider to have fun in those classes!)
9. Good sportsmanship is important and it’s your job if you’re the parent or trainer to set the example. We had a previous blog where the trainer who owned a skinny horse that did not place because it was skinny told off the judge and all her lesson kids cheered her. I was appalled. Good lord, grow the hell up and stop being a bad example. First of all, the judge is well within his/her rights to knock you for condition. Second of all, even if you think the judge has made a horrible decision, they’re the judge.  This is not our legal system and you do not get an appeal! Will you meet judges you think are idiots? OF COURSE. So what you do is you write down the name and you do not go show under them again. Say nothing but vote with your checkbook, and by all means, get involved in the show association yourself so that you get a vote when it comes to judge choices. It is in much better taste to say “I think X, Y and Z are terrific judges and I hope we have them again next year,” than to say “My God, J was a freakin’ idiot. How dare s/he place that lame fugly sack of shit over my horse? Is s/he blind?”Â
You can think it. But as I have told people at work, not everything you think needs to come out of your mouth – at least not until you are in the truck on the way home!
Something I always hear is that open show judges only place stock type horses with level head sets. Well, there is some truth to that – merely because a lot of open show judges are QH or Paint people. Some can judge all breeds fairly - some can’t.  Either look for open shows that are judged by someone who personally owns or trains your breed of horse, or investigate moving into the breed shows with your horse. One circuit that is beginner friendly and friendly to Saddleseat horses, Arab crosses, etc. is Pinto and you can register darn near anything Pinto breeding stock (seriously! look it up!). They do NOT have to be spotted.Â
10. It is completely appropriate to ask the judge if s/he has any notes about your performance and how you can improve. Just be courteous about when/how you ask. Some judges will come up to you in the line-up and tell you about your performance – others will have to be sought out during breaks.Â
What other advice would you offer to first time exhibitors? Share your knowledge and help them make a good impression right from the start!
Just one of my little side notes – if you are in the Seattle/Tacoma area and want to learn to jump over the winter on a been-there, done-that horse, I know of a big sound Thoroughbred for free lease with option to adopt if it’s a love match. E-mail me with YUKON in the subject line if you want to know more.
92 comments to “Putting on a good show, even your first show!”
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It could also be a versatility ranch class. Clipped horses are allowed, but they are supposed to be natural, so it’s not encouraged. In a vesatility ranch halter class this horse would be marked down because he is too fat. Other than that he’s fine. He should be square, but again, the horse is judged by being a horse the judge would like to ride on a ranch.
Hairy fetlocks protect his legs from injury. Hairy ears protect the horse from stuff falling in them (get a dirt clod down your horses ear while doing 35 mph down the fence and you’ll get my point).
The tack is supposed to be tack you would use on the ranch. No silver.
The point is to look at the horse and see if he is in condition to go on at the end of a day of showing.
Ranch Versatility is a huge, fast-growing, AQHA approved, wonderful event.
I live in an area where we’ve got mostly open stock shows. I’ve got a saddlebred. I went to my first open show this summer. I had all my tack and cloths correct. I didn’t pull or cut her mane since it was the only show I was planning that summer, but I did pull it up in a nice running braid. We hit all our leads, stayed in the english classes and still placed exactly where I expected. Dead last, and its fine with me because it was good experience at a close-to-home show.
This was in the warm up ring
and this is the whole album from the show
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34121&id=1049280314&l=facef17791
If the judge makes a suggestion about how you ride, tack adjustment, etc., do not make an excuse (it’s the only one I have, if I do that he won’t do this, etc.). If you and your parents and your tainer all disagree, do not tell the judge so — thank him/her. The judge is offering HELP; and the advice might be worth a try. S/He is speaking from experience, and his/her experience and knowledge might actually be greater than yours or even your trainer’s.
Be sure to note if the judge makes a suggestion and specifically says to try it at home. That means s/he knows the change will take getting used to, for you, your horse, or both of you. S/He doesn’t want to make either of you feel insecure at the show. But do try it! For example, I frequently see young people riding very “perched” with stirrups too short in both english and western — they grew, their stirrup leathers didn’t. Fix that now, on the day of the show, and the rider may feel very insecure, or (on a western saddle) the leather may not want to turn properly at the new length. Fix it at home, ride through the strangeness, and all is well. Yes, it may hurt the placing in the equitation class at *that* show, and if the rider is very secure, perhaps s/he can ride through the new position right now. But I always give them the option to do it at home first, because I cannot read that rider’s mind and know if they are confident only if everything is familiar.
From the other side: I’ve had some downright funny experiences with stock-breed judges at open shows. I judge many open shows, and I’ll never understand why I can “see” a good stock horse, a good Arabian, a good gaited horse (and know which gaits are appropriate to the breed), a good whatever and judge all of them in pleasure, but the stock breed person cannot. Hello. An Arabian is not built like a stock breed pleasure type, and should not move like one. I do know some stock-breed folks who can actually judge open shows, but the majority simply ignore anything but the current stock-breed style. Shows that use these judges simply are not actually “open” shows.
I get a lot of work from actual open shows, and they get a lot of entries because they select judges who will pin the best work in the ring, not just the best work in a certain frame.
I once had a stock breed HSM (horse show mom) ask me, “So, the (insert non-stock breed) horses are *supposed* to go incorrectly??” Nope. There’s not just one “correct” at an open show.
What’s correct for your horse is incorrect for another, and vice versa. 
I just loved that, makes me want to start showing again… now all I need is a energy! LOL
Also when going to a show, have a friend or family member go with you to help with the little things like check-in, in-gate boot shining, last minute touch-up on your horse, and for moral support! I always hated going to shows alone and loved it when I had a friendly face out there smiling back at me
When I took my experienced show hunter mare to a mini-horse trial, we did crossrails.
There’s no shame in going to the beginning or dropping down a level or more if you’re nervous, especially if both you and the horse have never done a show, or that type of show before. (We were showing 2’6″ in the hunter ring.)
You can always worry about being competitive later.
That being said, you should always dress the part. Subscribe or borrow some magazines related to your discipline, there’s usually great photos of people competing in that discipline as well as occasionally articles on how to turnout/fancy up your horse for showing. Practical Horseman runs George Morris’s jumping clinic every month. Wanna know how to turn out properly for hunter? o.O
As a past member of the show committee of an all breed horse club in our area I appreciate your post today! I think people would do much better to do a little homework before they head off to their first show. Spend a day not only at the show you want to attend, but at a few different shows, kinds of shows, etc. Get a good overview of what’s out there and decided where your horse fits the best. Local open shows have a little bit of everything in them…from those just tweaking big breed show winners to 6 yr olds on dribblin’ ponies and everything in between. In the end, at the open show – it’s just a ribbon….keep it in perspective.
I also have to agree that grooming, for both the horse and the exhibiter, is so important. At most open shows you do not need to have tack with all the bling, but CLEAN tack is never a mistake. In fact, I think good leather saddles that have been well cleaned and conditioned are often much more pleasing and detract less from the horse. Iron your shirt, pants, and to keep them clean take a very large shirt to throw on over them while you are working around your horse…it’s easy to take off right before your class.
The only think I think you missed, is please be courteous to the office staff. Keep in mind, that they are not there to fill out your entry cards “right now” because you decided to go into the next class. As an office person, I try to be as pleasent and helpful as I can, especially to those I know are “newbies”. I am happy to answer a million questions to the best of my ability. I am happy to assist in anyway I can, but I am not happy to hear your tirade about how you didn’t hear the announcer call your class, how “somebody” told you could enter the class and then fill the entry out later, or about how the judge is a moron……etc. Office staff are often volunteers, and are doing it because they want to and usually enjoy it. It helps if exhibitors can be pleasent and patient and fill your entries out in legible handwriting.
The other point about politics and judges, sometimes, a judge has a bad day, sometimes they miss things people outside or riding in the class see, and sometimes they just don’t like your horse…..with my kids I always told them, “it’s one person’s opinion on that day – not the be all end all of your show career” You need to learn to be your own critic, and know when you have a good or bad class too. Be realistic – know what your strengths and weaknesses are and keep that in mind. My daughter has come out of more than a few classes saying, “I blew that one” and she’s taken the time to talk to a few judges after shows – NOT to complain, but to ask, what do I need to do to improve, what problems did you see with my horse….sometimes it’s not fun to hear, but if you aren’t winning and you want to know how to, the judge is a good person to respectfully ask. Make sure you know what the rules are regarding approaching the judge though, different shows have different policies. But most of all HAVE FUN with it….and try to make yourself better……
I am an Open Show judge certified by the University of North Carolina in all four of the divisions they cover in their clinics and exams: Non-Trotting; Working Hunter; saddleseat type horses in English Pleasure and equitation [also covers Arabs and Morgans as western pleasure or hunter pleasure horses]; stock breeds in western pleasure, trail, equitation, etc. My daughter is also certified in all four divisions. We judge a number of shows in the eastern part of NC. Your advice is excellent, but it doesn’t cover strongly enough the issue of LEARN TO RIDE BETTER.
If you have to look down for ten steps to check your diagonal, or your lead, go get lessons before you show in equitation. Find someone to coach you and learn your diagonals and leads, learn to sit up and sit down on your horse, and ride it properly. If you are riding hunt seat or saddle seat equitation, your thumbs are NOT NOT NOT supposed to point at each other. Piano hands and a bad seat seem to go together all the time. I see riders with stirrup leathers of different lengths, saddles that don’t fit either the rider or the horse, snaffle bits in the horse’s mouth upside down, shirts not tucked in, coats not buttoned, in general a horrid turnout and a poor rider. And then they want to know, “Why didn’t I win, I was the slowest rider in the class?”
Do you think judges DON’T notice when you drop your hands way down on your horse’s neck and snatch left, right, left, right, rather than riding your horse forward from your leg into your hand? Do you think we don’t notice when you go so SLOW that your lope has four and a hal beats? When your stock horse has his ears lower than your knees we are required to eliminate you, not place you first.
Sorry for the vent. But judges really would like to see everyone do well, and be able to place a class based on the specifications, not on the person with the fewest faults.
One more point – if you are good enough to canter well, get the hell out of the walk trot classes and let the beginner or novice rider had a chance. It looks like MAJOR GREED when we see a really nice horse and rider in the walk trot classes.
One more comment – a judge can HEAR you when you say something rude to your parent or spouse or the friend who is trying to help you. Keep your mouth shut if you can’t be nice.
I think it’s useful to add that no one should feel that they have to show if they aren’t interested in playing the game. I know there are many people who love showing, but I got hung up on the very first mention of clipping your horse and pulling his mane. (I hate that look, personally.) Heck, I don’t even like sharing an arena, which is why I board at small, non-show barns! There’s no shame in preferring not to be competitive.
long time reader first time poster!!
i want to start doing some showing with my 6 year old standeredbred mare Star..she naturally parks out without me saying anything but gets antsy once the saddle is on..i wanna do something fun not so much the saddleseat classes or anything..she is naturally gaited right & barefoot right now..any tips for the newbie?
Fugs.
Don’t know what you got about Foundation Quarter Horse shows but you’re wrong on several counts…they DO allow clipping but not all the hairs in the ears, you can “taco fold” the ear and clip, they DO allow clipping the fetlocks and muzzles but they DO NOT allow clipping the hairs above the eyes. You seem to care about how horses are treated…these “rules” allow an owner to “clean a horse up” without removing all the guard hairs. OH, they don’t allow the face oil…what does that serve besides to collect dust?!?!?
FQHR allows good clean WORKING tack, not a saddle that has more silver than leather on it because it’s not about how much money your have, it’s about how the horse works. Same thing with the clothes…good clean jeans, long sleeve shirt, western hat…not a fashion show like the AQHA has become.
You snark about FQHR not having equitation classes or showmanship classes but look at why the FQHR was founded…to preserve, protect, and perpetuate the working cow horse bloodlines…these classes showcase the owner and not the horse.
Yes, you’re right to snark about the rubbed out mane and the purple halter…She should have pulled the mane even and put a color appropriate halter (again, we’re showcasing the horse not how much money we can spend on a halter). However, like everything, people need to learn…
I would think you would be pleased with what the FQHR is trying to do for the quarterhorse breed….they want a horse that can move naturally and be able to do several things and not just specialize in one area. We all BMG about what the AQHA has done to the breed….peanut rollers, ridiculously altered gaits, halter horses that can’t get out of their own way, and specialized horses….NOT a multipurpose quarterhorse the AQHA “says” they want.
Yes, I’ve shown in AQHA and have placed but it has changed so much that I look forward to my FQHR shows…they are competitive, still family orientated, inexpensive, and FUN!!!!
I wish you would come to one of our FQHR shows and experience one before you really snark…we are competitors, there are winners and losers in our classes…Lord knows my horse has lost plenty of times but, boy, when my horse horse gets a ribbon….and I find it very interesting that AQHA added working cow horse classes where horses actually look normal and can do a job and people wearing clothes fit for a runway show.
Sure wish I knew how to post a photo…
Getting off my soap box….
As to advice for beginners…you’ve hit alot of nails on the head so this is a more a suggestion to us old timers….if you see a new face on the show circuit…make them feel welcome. They could be a green beginner and it could make a difference if they stick with showing or not. Example, at one of our FQHR shows, a newbie forgot to pack a long sleeve western shirt…OOPS but hey, she was my size and I brought several so…I let her borrow one…she’s still showing….
All the shows I have been to will reward cleanliness. Your tack can be old, but if its clean and safe, there are no issues. The same with in hand classes. A pony can be imperfect, but if the chrome is glowing white, and the horse has clearly been groomed up, then things like uneven manes or imperfectly braided tails aren’t that big of a deal. A learning barn I was at had pre-show classes where veteran show people from the barn would give advice and teach newbies how to braid. They had a pre-show checklist they would hand out for free with what would be obvious to a veteran but completely unknown to a newbie. Stuff like extra hay, vaseline, cash for the food booth, what to put in your first-aid kit, and how long to allow for warm-up prior to a class. showing reflects on the entire barn, so stuff like this is helpful to everyone.
My trainer has entered several of her young kids into an upcoming schooling show. Despite it being a small, casual show, she has a strict list of expectations from her students. Her motto is, “we may not be a big deal, but we’re going to look good when we go out there and catch some peoples’ attention.”
I’ve been, in the past, part of some schooling shows where i went in not understanding how horrible i and my mount looked. That pretty quickly gave way to embarassment, and after the first time, i made sure to learn the steps one should take to be ready!
I have only been seriously into horses for the last 4.5 years. In that time, I have been to lots of shows with my barn, as Showmom (always) and rider (sometimes). We do a lot of local schooling shows. As I am in my 50′s, I show when I want and my reasons aren’t for ribbons – it’s a test for me to see if I can apply what I have learned from my trainer. Sometimes, I apply better than others….
1. Horses and showing are supposed to be enjoyable (the show nerves to the contrary). Yelling/screaming at your student in the warm up area makes you look like an ass and upsets the kids. Parents – if I was paying somebody to teach my kid to ride – the first time they got verbally abusive, that would be the end of that. If you must speak to your student, go to the center so he or she can have a chance of hearing you without all of the rest of us having to.
2. Even at schooling shows, I see kids who don’t have to groom or tack up their own horse. This is not acceptable. II can understand the teeny lead line kids not being able to, but if you are riding, you should be caring for your horse.
3. Bathing your horse before the show. Even little teeny kids can slop a sponge of soapy water over Dobbin’s legs and “help”. The wetter they get, the better they like it.
4. Sportsmanship. At a recent show, the owner of a pony decided she didn’t want to show him the 2nd day of the show. We added one of our barn kids to a class (x rails) with the pony. She had been on him a total of 2 times and never at show and only over a couple of fences at home. Trainer rode the pony in the schooling class (after clearing it with show management) and we put the kid up for the 2 of and the flat. She did great – got two blues and a red. Her grin was worth a million bucks. Later, as my trainer was checking us out of the show, the mother of another child who rode in the class (and didn’t pin as high) loudly commented on the fact that it was morally wrong for the trainer to ride the pony. A bit later, the kid and I go to collect her ribbons – and get stuck behind a group of gigglers who are going on and on about the 1 class one of them didn’t win – guess who’s daughter? We waited quietly for our turn, and with the gigglers still present, the kid tells the secretary her number and collects her ribbons and trophy. You could have heard a staple drop. Moral: You don’t know who is standing behind you in a line and good sports are raised that way, as are selfish pigs.
3.
Frustration at shows has been the biggest problem that i’ve observered. People will get frustrated at the judge, the class, the pattern, the competitors, or even their own performance, and then take it out on their horse.
You should never take out frustration on a horse or any animal, but at shows, because of the higher stress level, it is so much more common to see. If you have a bad ride, then just walk your horse out, put him away, and then walk YOURSELF out. Shows are not the time to act like a fool because your horse didn’t jog as slow as the others.
I’ve seen the most level-headed show people with great horses who usually win at every show, get a 2nd or 3rd and freak out out on their horse because of it not being 1st place. It’s pathetic. You are the rider and handler, and so therefore it is your responsibility to control you horse and make sure it does what you’ve trained it to do. If it does bad, then blame yourself, not your horse.
But the thing that bugs me the most, is when people forget they have a horse, and think they have a machine. They are not machines, dolls, or action figures. They are horses. They are animals. Treat them that way.
These are just a few of the reasons I don’t show anymore. Occasionally I’ll bring my horse to a small open show to just have fun and do something new to him, but only very rarely. I’m not a fan of people judging my horse. That’s why I barrel race; you can’t argue with a timer.
I judged my first open shows this year. My pet peeve was long hair left loose or even in a pony tail so that it covered the rider’s number! Long hair should be in a bun or hairnet. Kids can have braids and look cute though, but no one looks cute with hair blowing all over the place, and if i can’t see your number, it is annoying!
I did appreciate riders that tried to stand out a little though…anything small to look different from the other riders would help me keep track of them. In one class I had three grey arabs with the same bloodlines (and build), same tack, and same dress on the riders…it was a lot of work to keep track of them as they wove in and out of the slower QHs.
When I judged the classes, I was judging based on EC rules (taking into account breeds), but I think some of the riders were used to breed rules…EC doesn’t support low headsets or 4 beat jogs and lopes in any breed, so I didn’t place them (one horse “jogged” slower than a toddler walking along the rail and created a huge dust storm in its wake…it was hard not to want to cluck!), and I think that was a shock/annoyance for some of the riders who I am guessing normally do very well. Other riders who I found out later were used to being passed over, seemed shocked to place on their arabs or grades who moved very well and were obedient, just didn’t have the long low headset.
I wonder if people came away from that show saying it was “political” that I didn’t place the horses covered in silver that dragged along half dead?
All good advice, Cathy, and I add a double nod to the sportsmanship points. No one is going to win blue every time out (unless “the fix is in” ;o), so learning to be a gracious loser is as important as being a gracious winner. I’ve been to a lot of shows over the years and I’m always tickled to death to place in the class. Doesn’t matter to me the color of the ribbon. I get my scores and my comments, take them back to my dressage teachers and we work on improving.
It’s important, too, that the “professional” you ask to go with you to the shows is going to actually HELP you. The first year I showed, my dressage teacher, who talked a lot about how people were mean to her and how bitchy some riders could be to their coaches at shows, turned into the Coach from Hell. At the first show, she stood at the rail and yammered at me the entire time I was trying to warm up the horse. She had one run-on sentence and I was amazed that she apparently didn’t need to stop for air. And she kept saying, “He’s falling off the outside rein” and I had honestly never heard that expression before. I had no idea what she was talking about, and at the time, I’d ridden with that sow for more than a year.
Our dressage scores for every show during the time I rode with her included one word over and over: “TENSE.”
I decided after I left her barn that my goal was to ride a test without that word appearing in the comments EVER AGAIN — which is kind of like going to Jenny Craig and telling the consultant that your goal is to be able to wear underwear. It just doesn’t get any more basic than that.
I worked on my own for awhile and took occasional lessons from a gal who lives in Washington state and comes down to Southern California to visit family at the holidays. She was wonderful, and while all we worked on was circles while she worked with me to get the horse connected (and on the outside rein ;o), our next dressage shows were wonderful — not a “TENSE” on the entire test AND … I beat my former trainer several times at the shows.
Yay, me (and the horse)!
This is a timely and helpful topic for me since we are going to our first show next month. Well, my first show since 4-H eons ago, first show ever for my novice horse. I wouldn’t even think about taking her to a show if I hadn’t been to quite a few myself in recent years, first as a spectator then as a scribe. My experiences scribing have been of enormous value, and I can’t recommend it enough as the fastest way to learn how the world works. We have two walk-trot tests and that’s it for us, even though we are doing lateral work at home. I’ve seen people make a fool of themselves trying to show at levels out of their depths and incurring the wrath of their judge; it’s not pretty.
Besides the grooming fails in today’s photo, we got the handler putting herself in a dangerous position by standing directly in front of the horse ( a big SMS no no ) and the judge, who is walking well within kicking range behind. The handler’s hair over the number is another SMS no no. But, you can’t learn unless you get out there and try and hopefully, these clueless kids will hook up with someone who will set them straight. I love teaching these types of kids. With the right help, they’ll be back next year with a whole need attitude and commitment to training, fitting, grooming, and showing more correctly. With criticism, they could give up and never try again. Wish I could help them.
>>And she kept saying, “He’s falling off the outside rein†and I had honestly never heard that expression before. I had no idea what she was talking about, and at the time, I’d ridden with that sow for more than a year.< <
I hate it when trainers do that! Usually they use expressions that are WAY over the head of the eight year old they are teaching. I once watched a trainer nearly scream himself into an aneurysm telling some teeny kid to "close her angles." WTF, I didn't know what that meant til I was over 20! And I am with you guys, SCREAMING at your students is never acceptable and parents should find another place to spend their money.
>>Do you think judges DON’T notice when you drop your hands way down on your horse’s neck and snatch left, right, left, right, rather than riding your horse forward from your leg into your hand? < <
LMAO, apparently some trainers don’t realize this looks bad either! I watched someone spend the entire class repeatedly popping his nice Arabian in the mouth. Hint: It was the trainer who had the client with the skinny confiscated horses from a few weeks ago. It’s funny because I didn’t even know who he was (I’d never known what he looked like) ’til I said to the person I was sitting with “gee, I wish he’d just leave that horse alone, I love the horse but he keeps picking at it” and she told me who the trainer was. *snort* Not surprised.
I am glad to hear that judges ARE penalizing four-beating, snatching on the face, etc. It will only change when these people stop winning!
Re leads and diagonals, I swear it is NOT that hard to learn to FEEL them. Practice at home – go down the center of the ring in a straight line looking at the sky and try to feel it and have a friend tell you if you are right. You’ll catch on and it looks so much nicer not to look!
i know it has been said, BUT cleanliness goes a long way!!! i always feel like you should go out looking like “you could do some stuff” regardless of your skill. i’m not saying expensive tack and clothes, but CLEAN and well working tack and clothing. my tall boots are devon aire, cost me about 100 bucks. my jacket also ran me about that with the shirt. my breeches are cheap, but clean and used only for showing. my jumper saddle, is used, but i keep it clean, and my tack matches ( my bridle is Kincaide cost me 28 bucks). i don’t show HUS very often, so i didn’t spend a lot of money on the tack. my jacket is also used for dressage shows, so it gets double use, as well as my boots.
i braid my horse now everytime we show. i do very easy dressage rosettes, any body can do them, it takes about 30 minutes to do 15-17 braids. i get all kinds of comments now on his appearance that i never got before. braids on english horses automatically make them fancy… even if you are just trotting around with your nose poked out.
http://www.anky.nl/images/cms/knotjes9.JPG
i have been placed down for the kind of horse i was riding (TB) while showing under a stock judge. i was lucky enough to get a judge today at the local schooling show who had a foo foo english horse (arab/fresian X) and we excelled,( and got some great points on our canter!). it was refreshing to see the palamino QH who was barely moving get placed WAY down. i imagine if i’d have hung around for western that there were some angry parents. it’s one thing to “lope a hole in the ground” but that has been taken to the extreme. and sometimes stock judges are BLIND to how horrible it actually looks. it really doesn’t look comfortable either… yuk.
I know a few people (hunter-jumper land) who are kind of on the fence regarding the red ribbon for kickers. At least in flat classes, that ribbon can also serve as a signal to crowd the horse in hopes of making him/her act up and thus drop out of the ribbons. Just another angle I’ve heard repeated.
When I was younger I went to my first schooling show…I had a little guy, a 14.3 palomino grade “pony.” He was originally just my “get on bareback and go in a halter” trail guy but I had gotten a good trainer and decided to try this whole thing out! Although I was a higher younger we started in the beginner walk/trot classes (the schooling shows had western equitation, western pleasure, reining, trail and the games but we started with just the flat classes and trail). The beginner classes were usually judged by someone other than the “main judge” and I didn’t mind getting placed close to the bottom because it was my first show and all (by the way…we were actually prepared horse/rider-wise thanks to my trainer!). The last beginner class I did the “main judge” that ran the whole thing booted me to the intermediate class, which was walk/trot/lope. I told her I was NOT ready for the class; I was as far as my riding level, but we had been working to get my little gelding used to the shows and we had just gotten a relaxed trot; we were no where NEAR ready to lope! Just practicing we weren’t there yet as he needed a lot of arena work (him having been a trail horse) and would buck/take off/drop his gait/and didn’t know his leads. Not only were we not prepared for the intermediate class, we knew it would be a bad idea and potentially even dangerous to the other riders!
Nonetheless the judge forced us into the class and it wasn’t a surprise when he bolted into a gate, wouldn’t get his leads and was anything but calm and focused. Even though we had told her we were not ready (my trainer offered that we could do the walk/trot but not be judged in the class…we just wanted the experience) she began harshly critiquing me about everything that I already knew had gone wrong, and proceeded to call my little gelding “something like a wild mustang” (yeah, RIGHT). Looking back we probably should have just not entered the class, but we live and we learn. Anyways we obviously placed last which I knew would happen, but I was upset that she had gotten angry at me for not having control at the canter when we had told her we weren’t ready! The next month his trot was down so we focused really hard at the canter and at each show we did better and better as far as him being relaxed, getting our leads, etc. She still never placed me despite our progress, which I was fine with because we were just getting the hang of this. The thing that did bother me was the way she “helped us” at the shows. She would tell me (not nicely) that my breast collar was not something I could not wear in an open show because of the color, that my pad would catch burrs on the trail and that I would need to get a fancier bridle for an open show. This was a schooling show! Why would I need to have fancier equipment if I was in a schooling show, for fun?
Anyways we only excelled in the trail classes, in which we usually took firsts despite our adventures in the flat classes (it was a different judge, and obviously this was his element). My aunt later “fell ill” (which i a whole different story!) and gave us her horses, which were registered Quarter Horses. I showed one (my sister showed the other) after only a few weeks of riding him in the Advanced class and we did a lot better. I wanted to know what was better; I wasn’t sure how after riding a new horse for a little over a week could bump my scores that much in a higher class, and she only replied “your horse is a Quarter Horse.” As much as this angered me (that she had bumped my scores only because of the horse I was riding), yes there were reasons for my placings in the past but there were other things. A lot of HER STUDENTS and people riding HER HORSES usually placed over us (my sister and I, go figure) when they were clearly less capable riders. There were quite a few ridiculous things but by the end of it I had learned a lot when I had enough of the playdays (: I’m no longer a western rider but a jumper, but my first show experiences were a bit odd! Sorry for the novel…
RebelJubilee- Your horse is lovely! Just a note, though. I don’t know if it’s used differently with different breeds but that Pelham NEEDS to have two reins or a bit converter in english riding. It becomes a pretty harsh leverage bit without double reins or a converter that attaches to both pieces of the bit and then to a single rein. The judge might have looked down on this improper use. Everything else looked picture perfect though!
Another note for showing newbies: At lots of english only shows you MUST speak with a steward before you approach the judge for any reason. You could enquire with the show office to find out what the exact procedure is. At USEF rated shows it is against the rules and a very big faux pas to talk to the judge without asking first. Don’t ask me why!
We are currently at our first ever A show, hunter/jumpers. We went knowing it would cost a fortune and that our horse was not quite ready to win. No problem. (there is a reason for the 4 jobs in single parent family) My daughter who is riding , has never showed at this level. She wanted to learn, and gain experience. By day 4 today, she is disheartened by the people going “but you wont get a ribbon”. We didnt enter for the ribbon. We entered for the experience. It is so sad to be around people who’s only measure of success is a $4. ribbon. I am so thrilled and happy with my daughters ride (improving each day) and our horse (learning and gaining confidence each round)I think I we are the winners at the show, and Im so proud of my kid for not resorting to cheap and easy tricks to make her horse more competive. She is in it for the long run, as many of your kids out there are. (note: mane pulled, trimmed and tidy… regardless of ability to win, this horse is turned out (and a question for FUGLY, why , if my kid does not do A shows on a regular basis, but can do a nice braid job on her own horse, do the A regular kids have “staff” … braiders, groomers, clippers, trainers, barn staff etc. I understand a proffesional rider having a groom, but a kid with one horse, give me a f… break, braid your own darn pony.)
I clip my QH mare’s muzzle, but I’ve never clipped her ears or fetlocks. She has a bridlepath but her mane and tail are natural (and despite me never doing more than brushing it, her tail drags the ground).
Then again, I absolutely hate the idea of showing, so me and my wooly beastie will be out on the trails enjoying ourselves!
I have a few questions for you longtime showers:
Are there any good websites that show how to do a good show-do? I have seen so many neat, tight buns @ the shows, with good hairnets wrapped on tight but would like to find out how to do them!! : )
At what age are pigtails & braids no longer appropriate?
At what age are tall boots more appropriate than jods?
Another one of my pet peeves as a judge is entry numbers. When you pin them once, they flop, and it looks awful. If you pin them top and bottom they frequently roll up. Pin all four corners, in the middle of your back, without a slant which would make you look lopsided. Most tack shops carry the magnents you can use for your numbers. Also, long hair should be put up so it does not move. A six year old with twin pigtails bouncing is cute, an adult with flowing hair belongs in a commercial, not a show.
Many stock breeds showing in hunt seat tack put their numbers on their oversized saddle blankets, and then line up, and the judge can’t see their number. I recently judged a show where they seated me in the booth with the announcer, and I asked her to have the riders line up with their numbers to the judge. Sure enough, several riders with their numbers on the side of the saddle lined up as if they had their numbers on their back. I asked the announcer to say, “Hate to embarras you riders, but the judge is not able to see your numbers.” They had to turn sideways in the line up. It took about four classes for some of the riders to get the point. Hello???
Plus, no one who jumped would want that big extra amount of blanket flopping around. It does not look “Hunter” to an experienced judge.
While I am at it, many breed and local shows use the term “Hunter Under Saddle” for a class that is really a “Hunter Pleasure” class. To anyone who knows a thing about the real Hunter world, “Hunter Under Saddle” is the third class in a hunter championship; the first two are over fences. You are not allowed to enter the flat class unless you have shown in at least one over fences class.
I once announced a show my daughter was judging, which was organized by two women. I asked, “Is this class, which you call “Walk/Trot Novice Rider” judged on the horse or the rider?” NOTE: Class names DO matter. One woman smiled and said “Rider,” at the same time as the other woman said, “Horse,” and then they looked puzzled. They had been running this series of shows for several years and had never talked about class specifications or class names. One is told at the open show judging clinic to assume pleasure unless the name of the class has the word equitation, but many show organizers don’t know that. I suggested they have two classes: [1] Novice Rider Walk/Trot Pleasure; and [2] Novice Rider Walk/Trot Equitation. That way kids could show in both.
I have to unfortunately agree with the people who find a lot of stock horse breed people can’t judge open shows well; their mind set is just so firmly established that they are not going to pin another breed, no matter how well it does. It isn’t really that hard to compare apples and oranges…..
IEA shows are awesome for people like me but they make me wish I owned a horse, because every week you get a random horse you’ve never ridden in your life, which I hate, especially if the horse is HORRIBLE. I want to own a horse so I don’t have these problems but I have to deal with horseless horse shows for now ^^
These tips are so helpful! Maybe you should do one on show clothes itself because that’s like a different subject entirely – especially those Western things, I had a slinky when I showed Western as a little kid and it was fugly, it was purple with those little sequin things alllllll over it and I think I still have it. Maybe rules for buying clothes (for peeps like me who end up stuck with the same ones their whole life), how to know if it will be good in a few years or not?
Ohh fugly, I thought about you today.
It was the last show of the year….
people who beat the horse…cause that works, sure….
people who ride a lame horse, though they know better….
lady who came to the show with no pants on….mustn’t have been able to figure out how to get them over the leg cast…..
and the 4 year old sitting on the bomb proof horse……..he only fell off because the horse wanted a good whole body shake……Innocent enough……. and ending the day with a nice 3 year old sporting a shank and a bit of a bloody mouth corner.
I totally agree with the “know the rules” advice. Sometimes, reading the rule book is not enough. You also have to verify anything that isn’t entirely clear in the rule book. Last year, we thought our 10 yr old riders could compete in Beg Jr Eq instead of just 11&E Beg Jr Eq because the wording in the rule book suggested that they could–the wording was a bit conflicting but we thought we had the clear. We were wrong. They were all dressed up and ready to ride and then got the red light to compete only minutes before their class when the age issue was id’d. This error cost us a day of stabling, hotel, and groom unnecessarily. Our trainer was from out of state and even though she really read the small print, this one got away from us and was super frustrating. If we had just done a sanity check with another trainer or rider to verify this, we would have saved ourselves a lot of heart break!
I should add that the Steward really was a total Bitch to us. Unfortunately in the horse show world, you’re expected to know everything and there’s no tolerance or kindness extended to a newbie who gets something wrong. You can bank of getting a very condescending response from the show officials. It’s not surprising so many riders get turned off by showing competitively.
Here’s a question for y’all – how do you get to know these other people at the shows? I’d love to go to something where I knew someone, even if it’s just to root for their horses (if anyone ever shows at the MN State Fairgrounds, I’ll totally come by and root for you!), but all of the “events” I know of are big shows, and I feel like I’m intruding even just walking down the aisles sometimes. I hate to be a bother if I’m not buying a horse or looking for training, and nobody has a “Random Horse Talk” lounge or anything. Then I end up asking the Internet about everything…
Showing can be a lot of fun if you put the effort into it.
However, I quit showing because I don’t give a damn what someone else’s opinion of my horse is. When I was training horses, I showed a little bit, but eventually I just came for moral support for my students. Not to say I won’t ever show a horse again, myself, but the moment I find myself caring about who won what and whether the judge was smokin’ crack to pin that fugly thing that can’t move out of its own way or whether Trainer X was doing something illegal when he/she thought no one was looking, well, that’s the day I bag it once again. I’m so much more interested in taking my horse out on the trail and having a good ride that we both enjoy, or going out to a clinic where the two of us can learn some more good habits, or maybe getting out somewhere we can play with cattle. The only points I need are the ones my horse says I’ve earned, and the only ribbons I need are the ones that tie my hair back out of my face. A monetary prize can get my attention, but I won’t sell my ideals for cash.
If I was going to show, I’d put the effort into doing a good job at it. Even if you’re not a professional, you should look like one, IMO. Take it seriously, but not too seriously, I think. Enough to feel like you’ve done your best at presenting the best possible picture of yourself and your horse, while still maintaining the idea that it’s supposed to be just another fun thing to do, like a trail ride or chasing cows.
I’ve judged a few shows, and I think I judged them fairly. The ones who presented the best picture and best performance got the top honors, consistently. The ones who were trying hard got pinned higher than the ones who were just there to beat someone else and slacked off in things that mattered, like learning how to ride properly. I remember one show that ended up being a matchmaking event. The gal who was obviously the best rider, with the best turnout and best trained horse won all her classes easily. After the show, the gal asked me if I knew someone she could buy a quality AQHA gelding from, and as it turned out, I did. I was filling in at that show for a breeder friend of mine who couldn’t make it, and she had a real nice gelding for sale, so I sent her to my friend, where she met my friend’s foster son. Three years later, I was not only invited to the wedding, but they stood up and gave me credit for getting them together! LOL I don’t really think I had that much to do with it, though, because if my friend had judged the show instead of me, the outcome would most likely have been the same.
But I digress.
If it isn’t already in the rule books, it should be left up to the judge’s discretion as to whether anyone deserves a blue ribbon. If a judge is looking at a class full of crippled two year olds bobbing and four beating their way around the arena, he ought to be able to give five of them fifth place ribbons. Maybe when nobody gets a blue, people will try harder to present something better. The way it is now, someone gets a blue and people mistakenly believe that’s the ideal to strive for, when the fact is probably that the judge may have been thinking they’re all crap and that one is the least crappy of the bunch.
JMHOYMMV
Just a tip for those who want to show but think it’s too expensive, or who show anyway in whatever they can find at the barn:
“I can’t afford it” is not an excuse for looking like hell out there. I was recently at a breed show, and very few people were turned out nicely, very few people bothered to really groom up their horses, and it was actually pretty sad. The general excuse? “Oh, show stuff is too expensive.”
I GET MY SHOW CLOTHES AT GOODWILL. Not the tall boots or the breeches, no, but those are available used on Ebay and with some elbow grease can be quite presentable for well under $30.00. I’m not ‘domestic,’ either, and don’t sew. A sleeveless cotton dress-type shirt with the collar turned under and a plain white ratcatcher collar pinned on was no effort at all. Total cost: $0.75. My jacket was borrowed, and I had another in reserve that was a castoff boys’ dress jacket at the Goodwill. Total cost: $3.00. Used breeches off Craigslist? $12.50. As for the little girl who was showing my pony, she didn’t have a lot of money to spend either. We found some nice low boots for her, brown, at the Rescue Mission, and once we’d gotten some jod straps and knee-strap leathers for her, and polished them up, you couldn’t tell that they weren’t classy expensive jodphur boots.
Even though we weren’t the most talented team at the show, because we were impeccably turned out, we won quite a few classes that I think we otherwise might not have. It’s a sign of respect to the judge, the show, and the event to be neat, clean, in well-fitting clothing and tack that are appropriate for your discipline. Tack should always be clean. The horse should always be immaculate. Those are things that really stand out to me and make me impressed with the rider and the team and the effort put into showing at their best!
@ missouripassage
Around age 13 for the tall boots. If you wear tall boots you should always have your hair up. Ten is probably too old for braids. Be warned that this varies by area, breed and circuit.
Go to warm-up day even if you don’t feel ready to show yet – you and your horse can both get the feel of the showgrounds and all the strange horses and sights. For your first class you might want to go ‘au coucours’ (?sp) which means you are not being judged – you have to get a number but you reverse it. That way you won’t feel the stress of being judged but still get the experience – and you won’t have to pay entry fees. I always take a friend even though I do ride with a coach – she will have 8 – 10 students and its nice to have someone who’s only job is to help me out. In my case it is a friend who shows dressage whereas I do hunters – we trade off and ‘groom’ for each other. We both ‘know the ropes’ and our schedules don’t conflict.
Hah! As far as the age for hair up and tall boots, I heard a trainer once “If your boobies bounce, your hair shouldn’t!” Priceless…
First rule of good showmanship… if the horse doesn’t do what you want – its usually YOUR FAULT for not preparing/riding/handling correctly.
Don’t beat the crap out of your horse for refusing that fence, learn how to ride better and more balanced! Don’t lose your temper and yank on his mouth till his teeth break, don’t ride him until he’s exhausted with sweat and foam dripping off him. Look at YOURSELF and how YOU stuffed up! (coz 99.9% of the time, you did)
OT
This girl needs a home ASAP http://rockford.craigslist.org/grd/1384424291.html
In this age of flash and bling, sometimes going for a classic and understated look will make you stand out to the judges. This is particularly true for the children’s division. A friend’s niece once had a Pony of the Americas, a cute little grey with black spots on his butt. Because of this, we went for a black and white theme for shows: black tack, black wraps, a simple black and white saddle bad with monogram, black show coat and helmet. The effect was quite striking and with all the cutesy saddle pads and purple/pink/polka dotted leg wraps, etc, she stood out like a blazing light. It helped that they were a good match, naturally, but that pair was always in the ribbons. I suspect part of it was the show rig: after awhile, a constant barrage of color and flash becomes visual diarrhea. That simple black and white set up was not only visually refreshing but memorable. Besides, it was awfully cute.
I can see how this happens (coming to one’s first show completely unprepared) because it happened to me! When I was 12, a friend of my mom’s said we should show the POA I just got and she said she’d “help.” While she did somewhat clip up my pony for me, she said my short-sleeved western shirt was fine, that my tack was all fine and didn’t tell me I needed my hair up, etc. She had me in all the riding events and I didn’t have a clue–I couldn’t get my horse to lope to save my life, was cutting people off on the rail, etc–total disaster! It was humiliating and I never could understand why someone would drag a newbie along without any sort of real prep at all. All we had ever done was just trail ride and barely even that. The good news is though that by the time I was 16 my siblings and I were placing at the International, so we did recover
I always have a softspot for the newbies, though, since that humiliating day left a life-long impression on me
Horseshealus, you are so right about rude show personnel being one of the major reasons a lot of people do not return to the competitions the next year. There is an office manager at one of the major biggie show venues for dressage and I will not volunteer to help there again as long as I have to deal with her. There’s an old rule that says you can the quality of people by how they treat their mothers; my philosophy is you can tell a show management by how they treat their volunteers and the competitors who aren’t the Olympic-bound types. Everybody’s money spends the same, and if I am treated like I don’t matter, I’m not going back. I can be rude, too, but that’s not the point.
MayBee, I totally agree about the fact that everything does NOT have to be custom or even “brand new.” I have a pair of Effingham field boots (bought in 1998) that are, uh, well, let’s say they are “really broken in.” I can DRIVE in them (and because my horse does not tie reliably and I’m usually by myself at shows or clinics, it’s a PITA to have to hold him and pull the boots on at the same time — particularly since one of the boot tabs on each boot has pulled out and I just haven’t had the time to get to a cobbler with the boots and both tabs to have them sewn back in, SO I use a boot hook and a pair of pliers ;o) Anyway, those boots clean up REAL good, still, and I’m in lower level dressage where field boots are permitted.
Almost anything looks good clean, polished, pressed. And with kids especially — because those little snertlets GROW — having an inexpensive option to the tack store is just good economics and plain common sense.
Aficat, if I were you, I would get to know people at their barns or where they take lessons rather than at shows. When people are showing they have a lot on their plates and don’t have time to socialize. It may take a time or two, but you’ll find a niche if you approach the horse people when they aren’t dealing with show nerves and a tight schedule. Just a suggestion.
When I moved here, I was brand new to dressage and had just bought a horse. I read about a dressage show at a local facility and went to observe. I knew from nothing, but one of the ladies there told me a few things to watch for and I had a nice time watching the horses and riders. The rest of the show crew wasn’t very friendly — the local dressage chapter is known for its bitter membership — but I put it down to show nerves and I attended a meeting, joined the state dressage association, affiliated with the snotty chapter for about a year and a half and then changed to another chapter where I am much happier even though I have to travel 80 miles round trip for meetings and other chapter events.
Maybe you can get a part-time job at a barn cleaning or grooming or something, so you can get to know people in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Thanks for this thread..A lot of interesting points are being made here. We took a green TB ( never been shown) to a low level show..O.o. Hilarity ensued..So, I second the taking a horse to a show, not entering, but, just to get said horse acclimated. Running children, Minis, Horses with spots!! Horrors! Spook, Spook, Spook.. No one got hurt, the horse did not place in it’s class, but behaved admirably once in the ring. Also, Moms…please don’t click loudly at the rail..it’s really disturbing and embarrasses your child. I saw that over and over again..
Having Judged (lower case J won’t work) and shown a few, and not wanting to repeat all the great points already posted, here is my pet peeve: PLEASURE class. Ride/drive. PLEASURE. What is it about a near runaway, sideways, spinning, shying, bucking, running others into the rail, cutting off others, rider/driver cussing that is a pleasure? Just because a horse is a big fancy mover and/or has lots of pretty flying mane and tail doesn’t mean they are a pleasure. Judges that place these horses over a nicely moving, correct, clean… (see all points previously posted) horse are wrong and need to review their Judging guidelines/rules.
My advise to riders is to have fun. Any time you are on a horse is the best time ever. If you aren’t having fun, get off because you probably won’t have a good ride. Easy rides, difficult horses; all fun because you are learning something and improving.
One thing I’d like to mention that no-one else seems to have thought of. Just because you are in the show-ring doesn’t mean you are trapped there. Bailing out is an option. You just halt in the center and ask the ring-steward to be excused, then walk out as directed. I used to show often, and would excuse myself if A. my horse was about to explode, or B. other horses in the ring were about to explode. Once one horse in the ring goes off, chances are others will do the same, and nothing will ruin your show faster than being in the middle of a bolting, bucking herd of freaked-out horses.
I also excused myself once at a college equitation competition in which you had only a few minutes to get accustomed to a new horse before you got sent into the ring. The poor horse just wasn’t quite sound, so out I went. Took the officials another two classes before they gave up on him and put him away for the day.
” At USEF rated shows it is against the rules and a very big faux pas to talk to the judge without asking first. Don’t ask me why!”
There are a myriad of reasons. Rider A approaches the judge, asks for advice, gets it — then rides in another class, using the advice and suddently does much better (deservedly). That’s why at USEF shows an entrant may not approach the judge until s/he is *completely* done showing.
Regardless of the results of the above situation, suddenly everyone in the barn is talking about Rider A getting chummy with the judge, are they friends, has she been a student/client of the judge, who was the agent when she bought her horse, what kind of politics are going on — horrors!
It’s difficult for the judge to concentrate on his/her job when Big Daddy is likely to charge up at any moment, spitting curses and waving fists because Darlin’ Daughter and her Expensive UnSuperhorse have not taken the blue in every class (and yes, this does happen — I don’t know which is worse, the menacing HSF or the self-righteous spouting HSM. A certain percentage of parents are MENACES at a show, and part of the steward’s job is quite literally to shield the judges from people like this.).
The simplest explanation is that at a recognized show, a judge must be like Caesar’s wife — absolutely above suspicion. When you judge recognized, you hope to either know or find your fellow judges and the steward(s) compatible, because it can get kinda lonely at a long show. You do not nod to, speak to, or acknowledge people you know who are competing, lest someone get the wrong impression. It’s sort of like being on a sequestered jury.
(And if the judge IS someone you know, do not behave inappropriately — be polite and respond as if s/he is an important stranger. You have no idea how much the judge will appreciate not having to ignore “hi, Jenny the judge! how are you?”)
Someone said “you never know who is behind you” — that goes for the stands, too. Do not comment loudly on the fugly that beat you in the last class — the owner, parents, or young rider might be sitting in front of you, thrilled to have a ribbon. If you *must* comment, do it quietly and only to those you are sure will appreciate hearing.
The only exception to that, and this is MY OPINION as a loudmouth — is when a horse is lame, skinny, etc., or when obvious mistreatment is occurring. Many people will notice this sort of thing, but many are literally afraid to comment for fear they will be criticized, told to mind their own business, etc. Most of those folks will be glad to agree with anyone who does call out inappropriate condition or behavior. Someone just has to start the criticism.
And now, from a judge, what NOT to do:
Do NOT let me see you punish your horse. Do not jerk his mouth, use a whip inappropriately (yes, sometimes a horse needs a little smack to be reminded that he will jump that strange fence — but there’s no excuse to take a tight hold on his mouth and hit him 5 or 6 times with your arm flailing like a second class major-league pitcher), or kick with spurs. *Correct* the errors — oops, he picked up the wrong lead, so *quietly* slow him and strike off again.
NEVER KICK WITH A SPUR, whether the judge can see it or not. If this comes as a surprise to you, take off the spurs until you have the quiet leg required to use them. (Personally, I would like to see spurs banned in 4-H until the rider is over, say 14 or 15 — and then they should have to be certified to use them. The fact that the little kid has a lazy pony is NO EXCUSE for putting spurs on and still allowing the child to KICK KICK KICK — which is what made the pony dead-sided in the first place.)
NEVER slap your horse upside along the haid, even if you are convinced he knows better than to trot too fast, raise his head above his shoulder, or crowhop a bit when you ask for a lope.
At a schooling show? Great — but *correct* your horse. Know the difference between correction and punishment. Never take out temper or frustration on your horse.
Be aware that often the warm-up area is visible from the ring. Don’t display temper in the warm-up because you think the judge isn’t watching.
Know your horse, and trust your knowledge: If you know your horse isn’t ready to canter/lope in a group, don’t. Even if the judge insists you should be in a class that includes canter/lope (or, as certain announcers have been known to say in mixed sidesaddle classes, “cantelope”), don’t do it. If you want to go in the class for experience, just don’t lope/canter; keep jogging/trotting, and stay out of the loping/cantering entrants’ way. That will be good experience for your horse. One bad experience can set a young/green horse back a long way. If you are trying this gait in the show ring for the first time, and you realize that things are not going well (horses bolting or bucking or sticking), do not be embarrassed to calmly bring your horse to the center of the ring and wait it out. You have the right to ask to be excused from a class at any time.
And after all of that, do not forget to have fun. This is a very expensive hobby, and if it’s not any fun, heck, go do trail riding. Horse show moms and dads, PLEASE remember this! If the kid stops having fun, don’t rant about the money you have spent on horses/clothes/tack/lessons/entry fees — just let the kid stop showing. If the kid just wants to ride, you can get some of your money back on the fancy show tack to replace with good usable tack and even on the clothes. You can’t get your kid’s smile back by insisting that s/he keep doing *your* dream. Amazing as it may seem to those of us who do truly love to show, NOT EVERYONE DOES. You can love horses and riding, and truly dislike showing. What a concept.
Oh, wait. I thought I was through being long-winded, but here’s an important thing:
As a judge, I *want you to do well.* Honest. I’m not there looking for the tiniest flaw with an eagle eye. Trust me, it is far easier and more pleasant to select the BEST horse in a good class than the “least worst” horse in a bad one. Yes, in a good class a small error may drop you a place or two, but I’m probably still thinking good thoughts about you.
The judge is NOT your opposition; s/he is your ally. The large majority of us are looking to see what you do RIGHT. We really want to see the good stuff. Honest.
Cathy,
All had wonderful comments to add, kudo to all.
You were so dead dead dead on w/your comments. Thank you for that.
Decided to read the comments before adding my own
As a trainer specializing in low level eventing and dressage, I have tried to bring real beginner students to open shows. Close to home and low cost. But I never went to one where the judges were not QH/Western people, so even the english classes were judged like a (bad) western class, or wenglish as I call them
My school horses could never travel w/their head that low even if I wanted to train them that way
But I always insisted on impeccable turnout for both the horse and rider. My students are thought to recognize their diagonals from the very beginning, same for leads.
Hair is tided up under hair nets, all wear gloves
Tack fits the horse, even if it’s (only) a smidge too big for the rider. Tack, and all other leather is super clean and shiny.
Show coats and helmets have no dust and/or horse hair on them.
Parents are thought to recognize diagonals and leads, are positioned around the ring and help students if needed. Parents are thought to carry a towel/rag to wipe boots and horse drools
Students are thought ring etiquette.
Manes are pulled/evened out. Manes are braided if horses have a messy mane. Braids are well done, takes practice, but not that hard to learn.
All students, and most parents thought to recognize tack not put on correctly.
List of needed stuff suppled to all.
And most of all, ALL are expected to help each other out and be polite to all. If I see a student be rude to their parents or anyone else, I tell them to stop.
At open shows, and schooling dressage/horse trials shows, my students have stood out, even when they don’t place well.
I don’t do the open shows anymore.
And yes, know the rules. I have judged dressage and over fences classes at 4H shows. I have seen riders salute me after their dressage class and proceed to leave the ring at B or E (the ring was not complete because of lack of enough PVC poles).
I have seen riders have a refusal at a jump, entirely their fault, and beat the heck out of their horses for it.
I have seen ‘trainers’ at 4H show tell their students to enter classes they knew nothing about, just because the students had a quota of classes they needed to enter.
At our huge annual used tack sale in our town, I have seen riders and their parents buy a horribly made, sometimes w/a broken tree, english saddle, very cheap, just because they needed to do 1 english class at fair that summer.
As a trainer, I am truly appalled at whom calls themselves ‘trainers’. Just because you have had horses your whole life does not make you knowledgeable about them.
As I always say to riders. Pick the discipline of your choice. Then go audit clinics w/riders who have made it to the top, Olympics or World Championship. Listen to them teach, watch them ride. What you hear/see should make sense to you. Your instructor at home should be teaching you the same principles, at a lower level. If not, go to someone else. Paying less to someone who is teaching you wrong will make it a lot harder to learn it correct in the long run.
And last, but not least. Riding correctly does not mean you have to show. Trail riding should not mean you ride wrong either. Shows should be an affirmation that your training is on the correct track. And they should be fun
Enjoy your horses, and keep a leg on each side
Happy riding to all
Interesting. In England it’s 16 for tall boots. Of course, in England, the show dress code is far more precise and strict than in America. Or at least it used to be, it might have changed in the last decade. But I remember having to take two jackets…to a VERY local show. And two ties. I don’t believe female riders wear ties in shows over here. WHITE shirts. Never any other color. Ever. Oh yes, two *bridles*…my fancy one with the copper bling for jumping, and a plain one for the show classes. And this was at a *local* show. Americans seem a lot more relaxed about details of the look.
off topic:
was pootling around craigslist.
I know QH foals often look a little downhill, but not this downhill surely??
http://cedarrapids.craigslist.org/grd/1354410578.html
Needs…foood….
http://cedarrapids.craigslist.org/grd/1354196426.html
Conformation of a cow
http://eastidaho.craigslist.org/grd/1371794528.html
Unhappy looking, poss skinny, with lovely upside down neck
http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/grd/1394751056.html
How does a 7 year old get that sway backed though?
http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/grd/1386134353.html
Midget front legs
http://norfolk.craigslist.org/grd/1387893626.html
Oh the fun of horse shows!!! My first was at my home barn and I had a trainer but I did enter a class just so’s I would get a ribbon, last out of 3 but it was our first show and I just wanted to experience the fun. Any show I went to I always had a shit eatting grin on my face cause I was having a blast no matter what happened.
My first away show was quite an eye opener and I knew I was way out classed but I even put my mare in a beginners trail class just for the fun of it. My trainer was agast but I was having too much fun. Course, Altiva could not fathom the idea of a gate in the middle of the arena and WTF why did we have to go thru the wobbly thing when we could go around it!!! She thought humans weird. We did gates all the time but it was an entry into someplace, hence the necessary. The showmanship judge advised me that I would have placed only for the gloves sticking out of my back pocket, I had forgotten to put them on. It’s the attention to detail.
JENGHIS- I LOVED your post! I have been so excited about the FQHA shows- back to being about the natural horse, its ability and the training, and away from the fashion show clothes, etc. More power to them! I heard that if you show up at a FQHA show with a blinged up saddle, they put black tape over the silver- I thought that was the best! lol
Your last comment REALLY hit home with me, too. I grew up showing with a dad who went far out of his way to help out the newcomers and underdogs. Even if it was just to walk all the way across the grounds to their trailer to tell them something they did well in their class. Although it didn’t really sink in then what he was doing, as an adult I’m realizing how very important it was to those new people. I’m so proud of him, and am trying to carry on his good example. When you are new and a little overwhelmed and intimidated, a friendly face and helpful hand can make all the difference in the world.
AFICAT- have you checked out the MnHorseTalk.com forum? I haven’t lived in MN or been to the forum in a while, but that would be a good place to run into other MN horse people who would welcome you at their shows. Who can’t use a bigger cheering section? Good luck.
this show is the tunbridge worlds fair in tunbridge vermont, while i must agree that horse and handler are less than impeccably turned out i will also say that it is a small show focused on having a good time…i grew up showing horses here and learned quite a bit from the judges and supportive people here..for a lot of these folks it is there first time or something they do once a year for the fun of it
‘I totally agree with the “know the rules†advice. Sometimes, reading the rule book is not enough. You also have to verify anything that isn’t entirely clear in the rule book.’
Another way to confirm what’s said in the rule book is to verify ahead of time with one of the USEF representatives. I’m alway’s confused at what bits are legal for dressage copper, one’s with rollers, Myler bits, etc., because the rules change frequently and what was not legal last year, might be this year and vice versa.) I usually just send an email to a contact person (customer service, regulation official, etc.) complete with a picture of the bit. If I’ve contacted the wrong person, they usually redirect my email or notify me of the correct official, and I can get an answer to my question within a few days. Then I print out the response and my original post and take it to the show, so if there is any question by the TD, I have the response to back it up.
Regarding clipping, I show once or twice a year at most so I never body clip. However, my horses were always immaculate & shiny, shiny, shiny. I even showed my old gelding once in his full winter coat (at a small recognized dressage show….LOL). No one made any negative comments; and, in fact, for a short time, we had a number of competitors grouped around him petting and rubbing him. They were amazed that he was so shiny and fluffy and had no idea that a winter coat could look & feel that nice. (I didn’t do anything other than standard grooming so it makes me wonder what they were used to seeing….)
When I show, I do always trim fetlocks, outer ears, and that “goat hair” that they can get on the sides of and under the jaw. However, I never trim the insides of their ears (resulting in many hilarious “fights” with a friend who’s on the AQHA circuit) or the whiskers on the muzzle. Since I don’t show regularly, my horse is basically out in the pasture 24/7. He needs his ear hair and the whiskers.
One other point I’d like to make about grooming, and it’s basically borrowing from Susan Harris’ Grooming to Win (which is an excellent book):
A good coat/skin starts on the inside of the horse. I’m sure most of us on here have the calorie thing down, but we all need to make sure that our horses are getting the proper nutrients for their activity level, geographical region, age, available forage, overall health, etc. This is something that I finally fully understood about 5 years ago. Before that, I was of the school that used supplemental feeds/grains solely for horses in hard work or that needed to put on weight. My discovery of the beauty of ration balancers has made a huge improvement in my QH (esp. since he can get fat on air), and he’s been an eye-catcher ever since. In fact, I do not groom everyday (unless I’m riding or he’s insanely muddy); but he still has a soft, shiny, sleek coat.
So, my overall perspective is that for those of us who don’t ride a circuit or show regularly, you can still demonstrate respect for the show & staff without some of the full-commitment grooming like body clipping and complete ear hair removal. As has already been pointed out here, cleanliness is paramount. Properly fitting tack & clothes are also key. Make sure you don’t have anything flapping: too-long straps, straps that tend to escape from keepers, long hair, show numbers, etc. Braiding or banding is almost always appropriate, even for schooling shows.
Oh, I do need to add one thing….please, someone, please end the fake tail fad in AQHA shows. Most of the time, they’re never fitted correctly so you can see where the “break” is. Often, they are way too full for the thickness of the original tail. And good grief, if you’re backing your horse (esp. in reining classes), shorten the tail. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a horse run up his tail. And I did see a fake tail pop out once…LOL! And kudos to those of you who actually do a good job and take the time to make the fake tails look real—-you should sell your services…LOL!
I always enjoyed showing when we were on the ApHC circuit until it began to become a problem with peanut rollers, particularly the two year olds who were gimping along like they’d had their tendons cut. I would have been able to ignore them, but they were placing every time over the good, well-trained, relaxed horses, and it was no longer worth the money.
My family all ride western except for me, (though I will if we need another butt in the saddle for a class)… and my breaking point was a Hunter in Hand class, when a known trainer on the circuit beat myself and a very nice lady with tall, classy, well turned out geldings… with a white, 14.3H … I hesitate to use the term stallion for this fugly beast, but he did in fact have testicles. The horse had a fuzzy mane that had not seen a brush much less been braided/pulled/banded, his tail was equally bad, and he had a huge manure stain on one hip and was not trimmed at all. My gelding was 16.1H, a handsome leopard with a good hunt build, his mane was braided up cleanly and he was spotless (Other than the ones he was supposed to have.
). The other lady’s gelding was a gorgeous snowcap and well turned out, very well behaved as well, and was 16.2H. Both of us did our patterns well, our horses were calm and good. His stallion tossed his head, and was not a very pretty mover.
When he got the blue ribbon, she and I looked at each other, and after we left the ring I told her “I’m done..” and she agreed.
My daughter is now old enough to show and so we are looking for a nice POA, but I am dreading when she gets to the point that these kind of things happen to her. It soured me quickly on expensive show weekends when something like that places over people who have worked hard, just because of who is holding the horse. So be aware.. even if you do the very best job possible, politics can often win the day.
I have a lot to say about this one, just not enough time to do it yet, LOL!
Maybe I’ll just address it on my blog:
http://laying-the-foundation.blogspot.com/
(yes, shameless blog pimping at it’s best)
I have come out of open shows wondering what I did wrong or if the judge even saw me. I have come to appreciate dressage shows for this reason. I spend my time and my money to take a horse somewhere and I come home with the most valuable thing of all- a written evaluation of our performance. It gives me concrete things I can do to improve my riding. And I never have to worry about what anyone else in the show ring is doing. As a less experienced horse show participant, it was a great way to start and I still like it best. I choose dressage schooling shows with judges I respect. That piece of paper is way more valuable than a ribbon, although I have received a few of those too. Knowing what I did well makes the ribbon mean more. Knowing what I need to do better makes not getting one fine too. And in dressage if your spouse shows up to take your picture in the ring, you know he won’t end up getting someone else instead.
The advice I would give any youth/beginer is to have fun with everything you try. This is like any other sport and is for entertainment and enjoyment, dont let polatics or money ruin it for you. As far as getting into the show world goes, I have judged and love it, but you are paying for someones opinions against other people paying for the same thing. buy the best equipment you can afford and keep it clean in in good working order. I really dont care for nylon tack at shows ever, but if its all you have make sure you take it apart and throw it in the wash a few days before. Check that all the metal peices are solid (no rust) and shine them. I dont care if youre johny bigbucks on your $50,000 horse if you come into my ring with broken or dirty tack you will not be first place. Make sure you have your number on, and if you put it on your saddle blanket put one on the other side too. As far as apareal, anything clean, long sleeved, and that fits propperly works for me. Too many times I have seen kids in shirts that where huge on them, or boots and pants with mudd all the way up, helmets that where so tight the kid had a headache or so big it wobbled all over.
You cant learn from your mistakes if you arent sure what you did. If I was ever baffled by my placings I would ask the show steward if the judge would give me a minute of thier time, and I have never had a judge that refused to tell me how to improve or why I placed under other horses. They may have asked that I wait until a break or the end of the show but never a “no”.
Practice, study, practice. I watch everything, all discaplines at any show I went to, and this is how I learned alot of tricks of the trade. I had my friends play judge and we would take turns practicing our sneaky hides and pulling a horse together so that the side of the rail the judge watched most looked the best. Have fun, laugh off losses, and congradulate others when you win. I had one of my best classes after I didnt place and the winner of the class (girl I didnt even know) told me afterwards that I looked great and that I would have won if the judge had been watching the other side of the ring more. Lifting others up feels so much better than putting them down.
me and my guy went to our first ever show yesterday!!!
i used to be a dressage groom so i know the ins and outs, i also prepped colts for the national sales for a few years so im not half bad at turn out. it was an inhand show as i havent ridden much in the last 14mths due to being busy with work and then preggers. my guy has been in full time work with my instructor. he has only been out once before and that was with my instructor to pony club – just for an outing.
we just went to the show to start getting out and about together. it was just a ‘practice’ show, we werent going to be bothered if we came home with nothing, it was just for the experience. we only entered 3 classes – stallion/gelding over 4yrs where we got our butts kicked by fancy pants stallions. mannered – where we came 4th out of 10 and got a green ribbon yaaay! and suitable dressage [which was supposed to be jumping but we got put in the wrong one] and of course lost by miles there coz drum looks like a mule [hes actually a well bred TB =0] and the judge liked chestnuts and we were bay. the rest of the day we spent some time tied to the float, walking up and down stable aisles [hardly any horses get stabled in our country] walked around the float area, walked around with all the millions of other horses around, walked away from all the other horses, ate grass, practiced loading etc.
first class, naturally, drum tanked around a bit and i thought we were gonna flunk mannered which was straight after with the same judge lol. but he calmed right down and looked like a seasoned show horse for the rest of the day. hope to see some photos of us on the photographers site =0
really enjoyed the day out. i never planned on anything competitive with my horse, i just want to hack/trek/trail ride and hunt. but id like to do it more just coz its a fun day out =)
“It is up to the judge’s discretion … .” Absolutely. If the judge does not think there is a blue ribbon in the bunch — and the judge is doing his/her job — a blue should not be awarded. My first horse was AQHA and the lady I bought him from took him to a big show in the Bay Area. He was in a two-horse ride-off for first place in a Western Pleasure class and came in third because his owner messed up big time, and the judge decided the horse he had placed third was better than the “other horse” in the rideoff. I would love to see a bunch of fifth place ribbons handed out, frankly, given the deplorable “way of going” in the “western pleasure” classes today.
I love a horse “in the bridle,” which is why I chose to pursue dressage when I returned to horses in the late 90s.
Of course, judges like to be asked back — they know their reputations are based on their last show. Like in theater where “you’re only as good as your last performance,” judges who are trying to make a statement won’t get asked back if their “fifth place for all” statements tick off a lot of people.
oh and i might add: showing doesnt have to be expensive. i used cheap shampoo to get him clean. spent lots of time grooming to get his coat luffly since we are just coming out of winter. pulled his mane nicely. kept all the extra hairy bits trimmed nicely. cleaned his bridle. bought my clothes from the op shop since i dont fit my usual turnout clothes due to popping 3mths ago. just used cheap oil to make his hooves shiny. made sure my hair was done and tidy. and drum is always in decent shape.
being clean and tidy doesnt have to be expensive.
To whoever asked about how to put your hair up for a show, here’s what I do:
Brush your hair so it’s down and behind your shoulders, and a little over your ears.
Stretch out your hairnet with both hands and put it over your hair starting at the bottom of your forehead (some people like putting it kind of over their eyes at this stage and putting it up higher later). Make sure the hairnet is covering your hair back to your ears. If your hair is long, you won’t have all of it in your hairnet.
Pull your hair up into a ponytail at the base of your skull, including the hairnet with it (you don’t want the hairnet’s bumps in the middle of your forehead, so you may want to turn it to either side). Use a hair tie that is close to the color of your hair- white for blondes, brown for redheads and brunettes, and black for dark brown and black hair. Your hair should be pinning your ears to your head. You can have just the tips covered, or up to half of your ears.
Look in a mirror or have someone tell you if you missed any hairs.
Now grab your helmet.
Bend forwards and flip your ponytail over so it lays on top of your head, running towards your face.
Starting at the back of your head, put your helmet on by first sliding it over the base of your ponytail, and continue until it’s all the way on, making sure all your hair is contained within along the way.
And that’s how I do my hair!
OT, but I think this month’s Practical Horseman is one of the best issues I’ve received yet! I would highly suggest everyone go out and get a copy. My favorite articles are on BLANKETING and the DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. Other articles include adopting OTTBs, Rescues, and the Unwanted Horse Problem. Very very good stuff.
The only thing I didn’t like was the photo on the cover… please someone tell me I’m not imagining those uneven stirrups!!
I love it when the judges tell me what I can improve on or what I can do different. Schooling shows are great to start with for this reason. Most judges appreciate a rider that can accept their faults and willingness to improve. Judges are human aswell as us riders. Its not fair to let the judge hear you complain or whine, or the other ridersas well. It just makes the environment negative. Another thing most shows have areas to warm up and I have seen many riders warm up in areas that they shouldnt be. one time I was just sitting and relaxing on my horse before a barrel run and all of a sudden out of nowhere a girl comes barreling at us. She was told before be the show stewart not to be running her horse in this area where people are waiting for their turn. It was kinda dark in that area as well. you cant see the ground you shouldnt be running around. She stopped her horse but I did feel that horses chest on my leg. Or people blocking the gate to take pictures isnt nice either. One time before I had my class called and I was getting ready to go in. I waited patiently for the last few to comeo ut of the ring then iproceeded to the gate. And the last one that came out stopped right there. There was a crowd of family getting ready to take pictures etc. I said excuse me. trying to get through. Then I said it a little louder. Then I really piped up even louder. The a woman turns and grabs my horses bridle. And she said “Oh you want some help?” I told her in a snappy mood. “No I need to get into my class, and you cant be blocking this area. This area is just for riders waiting to go in. Family and friends are suppose to wait on the outside of the fence.” There were pony’s with red ribbons and all kinds of horses. There was one i was kinda trying to avoid because he backed right up into my friends horse and double barreled him. He did that twice in the ring. Then there are people who bring there dogs to shows that they cant control. Even though they are on leashes it wont take much to trip up a horse. Especially if a kid is holding onto that dog. If the dog is controllable on a leash and is pretty well behaved ya I dont see why not.
i stopped showing in the early 1990′s after 23 years of showing. we did alot of breed shows and open shows. here in the chicago suburbs, even the open shows were extremely competitive and you and your horse needed to be at the top of your game and spotlessly groomed. it was fun and we met some wonderful people that we are still good friends with today.
yesterday i went to an open show to watch for a bit. i was appalled at the lack of grooming of both horses and riders, dirty tack, bridles put together wrong, and the obvious ignorance of basic show rules and show-ring etiquette. the only saving grace was that i did not see too much blatant abuse of the horses (which, by the way, i used to see all the time in the 90′s and which is one of the reasons i stopped showing).
i have a question: when did it stop being proper to look behind you before you back your horse? we always were taught to look behind us before backing our horses in the lineup (per the judges request). yesterday, out of 20 riders, only one rider looked behind before backing.
@ aficat:
The best way to meet the “movers & shakers” of the horse world is to VOLUNTEER! Join your local horse club or saddle club, whoever sponsors your shows, and when they put on an event VOLUNTEER to help work, even if it is just to open & close the in-gate. I have even my youngest riding students hand out ribbons, and congratulate people as they come out, even if they did not win a ribbon. Working as a Ring Steward has been great, as I get to see things from the judge’s perspective, and oftentimes they tell me what they are looking for and judging on (without any input from me, of course!!). I like to do Registration as well, as you get to visit with people as they sign in for classes, and if they are new, direct them as to which classes they should enter in. But most of all, it’s just a great way to meet more horse people— the horse world is a small one, and everyone knows everybody, so even if you don’t know them yet, they probably know you! : )
No matter what kind of show (be it horses, dogs, cats, ferrets, etc) or what type of show; nothing ‘shows’ better than good sportsmanship. Is the show world political? You betcha. And with that being said, as an exhibitor you are still obligated to show your animal to the best of it’s and your ability each and every time. Constructive criticism/advice from a judge should ALWAYS be taken in and processed. And your response should always, always, ALWAYS be: Yes sir/ma’am, (and) Thank You. Make eye contact, a smile, and mean it. I showed cats for over 15 years. Have had judges rave about my animal and have judges shove him back in to the judging cage, barely finishing his preliminary evaluation. That’s the breaks. Not having a great show day? You are probably not the only one. Get over yourself. Visit with and cheer on your friends, congratulate those who are doing well that day, shop at the vendors (consolation purchases always help) and plan for your next showing. Keep in all in perspective. Parents and Trainers: remember that you are the examples these kids will follow. Being competitive does not translate in to being an asshole to others.
>>As a trainer, I am truly appalled at whom calls themselves ‘trainers’. Just because you have had horses your whole life does not make you knowledgeable about them.< <
Oh, heck, that is a whole other blog. I am endlessly appalled at how ANYONE can hang out a shingle. At least when I was doing it professionally in my 20′s, it was after years of other people paying me to ride their horses and to teach lessons, so I had some idea that my skills were in demand and worth money. And my lesson kids did well enough that I had some validation that I was doing a good job in comparison with other trainers and instructors at my level. Now people go to three clinics and start “training.” It’s crazy.
Very good advice all about coming to the center of the ring if you are having troubles. A good judge will have the steward pull you in if you don’t have the common sense to make the decision yourself. Don’t ruin the class for someone else or cause an accident – there will always be another class, and it’s not embarrassing to come to the center – these things happen. Horses are horses!
You can be cheap, but you can’t beat neat, clean and tidy. Oh, and riding well and being up to speed for the class you have entered.
I have a buddy who is into TWH, SSH, basically gaited horses. His horses are absolutely clean and tidy, he is a heavy fella and hard to fit so he had his clothes custom tailored. He brought me an article in one of the gaited publications and said look what I have to compete against, no wonder I am in contention for high point. The article was chiding persons showing for their poor turnout, specifically tearing out the sleeves of their shirts, and letting them know that sleeveless shirts could be purchased or tailored from a sleeved shirt, and that making your own by the simple expedient of tearing off the sleeve and leaving the thread ends hanging and flapping in the breeze when jackets were waived did nothing but reinforce an image the breed association really didn’t want to perpetuate.
And to Rebel Jubilee, thank you for sharing your photos, your horse is absolutely lovely and I am going to agree with the other poster – you probably got marked down for the improper use of a Pelham. I am not sure if a converter will be OK, but you can’t go wrong by adding back your second rein.
Whoops, no editing, I forgot. Second rein being the snaffle part of the Pelham.
One other thing: your horse is not a sofa. Get OFF between classes.
I brought my girl to her first show today and there def were a few horses unkept. I did not braid my girl as I had planned as the weather up here was miserable. Cold and rainy. I did however get her pretty clean, did my tack up and made myself presentable.
Her second time in a big ring, first time with other horses and she cleaned up. We ended up getting reserve champs for our division. Little fun show, but it was good for her.
Get a mentor. The wonderful lady we bought our first Mini from 11 years ago is STILL our mentor. She helped us when we were beginning to show and still gives us pointers today. We stable with them at Nationals and have a wonderful time, just being there! We can’t really afford a trainer, and honestly don’t trust many of them, so this is a great bonus for us.
And we “pay forward” the help. We had a young lady who bought a Mini from us and mentored her. We took her to shows with us, lent equipment when needed and gave advice. She showed several of our horses in classes her horse wasn’t suitable for and had a great time! Even took her to Nationals last year, where she did place in her classes. Unfortunately, “real life” and school takes all her time now and she doesn’t get to show anymore and has even sold her horses. Which is a shame, she was intelligent, LISTENED and LEARNED when talked to. And she was a pretty girl, which, you have to admit, does help in the ring. We’d love to find another local youth/youths who wants to show but doesn’t have the knowledge, equipment or even a Mini. We don’t ask for payment (don’t want to jeapordize (sp?) our Amateur status) but the only thing they pay for is their entry fees. And they keep anything they win.
Digit2009 says:
As I always say to riders. Pick the discipline of your choice. Then go audit clinics w/riders who have made it to the top, Olympics or World Championship. Listen to them teach, watch them ride. What you hear/see should make sense to you. Your instructor at home should be teaching you the same principles, at a lower level. If not, go to someone else.
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So Right On!!
Go to the high level clinics and audit. It’s cheaper than a lesson and money well spent. I find them fascinating and a great way to meet people with your same interests. You’d be surprised how cheap it is to attend a clinic with an Olympic rider. Way cheaper than wasting money on some local-Yahoo on Craigslist.
SFTS says:
September 27, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I have a lot to say about this one, just not enough time to do it yet, LOL!
Maybe I’ll just address it on my blog:
http://laying-the-foundation.blogspot.com/
(yes, shameless blog pimping at it’s best)
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Now that’s funny (the shameless part). Feel free to post more often. I haven’t seen Dena (or expect to) in some time.
Digit 2009, great post and very true. I agree with all of it, except… I suspect that you meant “taught,” not “thought.” Yeah, my Mom was an English prof, how’d you guess?
Yes, we need to make newcomers welcome. Wait a minute – I’m a newcomer to horse shows! *You* need to make us newcomers welcome!
Ruthie, slightly punchy
@dandelion326: There is no http://www.MnHorseTalk.com forum, or website for that matter. They must have shut down
@missouripassage: *HGNFFJK*… I hope they don’t know me! Most of my “show experience” has been unmitigated disasters or wandering around the barn saying “Hello pretty pony! No, I don’t have any treats for you.” to every occupied stall. (Oh yes, I’m that much of a dork.) Hmm, I didn’t know you could do that stuff for regular horse shows, I’ve done some of those things for IHSA. Thanks for the heads up.
“Also, Moms…please don’t click loudly at the rail..it’s really disturbing and embarrasses your child.”
When I hear clucking — or loud instructions– when I’m judging, I’ll wave a forefinger at the rail and announce “Only one rider per horse, please!” Usually gets a laugh — and quiets down the “help”.
As a judge at local shows I would ask mangement to post my judges cards because I usually take pretty good notes and people could look at them and decipher my little code….When I rode Intercollegiate, most of the judges posted their cards and they were helpful in terms of equitation pointers.
I do not show, the bad sportsmanship is rampant and I decided that cringing at every other round, be it hunters, jumpers or equitation, was giving me premature wrinkles! Can’t say I blame any of you guys!
Some good advice, Fugly. One thing I learned with my guy was practice makes perfect. He’s a bit of a hot tamale. This is our second year showing, and I pulled out all the stops. We go to everything we are able to. Though dressage is our specialty, we also went to pleasure, games, and hunter/jumper – even the county fair. He doesn’t know what he’s being judged on; so I ride him the same way I always do. But he has finally started to figure out that the sky isn’t falling at horse shows. And I learned he likes jumpers.
So – If you are serious about having fun and your horse isn’t too sure; don’t worry. Keep trying. And be willing to try some events outside of your discipline, just to gain experience. Just keep trying and stay positive. And get help from friends and professionals if you can.
missouripassage says:
September 26, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I have a few questions for you longtime showers:
1) Are there any good websites that show how to do a good show-do? I have seen so many neat, tight buns @ the shows, with good hairnets wrapped on tight but would like to find out how to do them!! : )
2) At what age are pigtails & braids no longer appropriate?
3) At what age are tall boots more appropriate than jods?
1) hunter princess hair for short hair
long hair
2&3) I’d say around 13 for both. But I don’t do hunter/pleasure that often anymore.
Wait…people on the American show circuit trim the whiskers? I was taught *never* to do that. EVER. Under any circumstances. That it was cruel and abusive.
Thanks A Bay Horse! I have seen this site before though; what I am looking for is how to do a BUN, at the knape of the neck, that is often seen on exhibitors in hunter pleasure, western pleasure, saddleseat, and showmanship. Somehow it is secured with a hair net, and decorative bobbies are holding it secure.
I wish I could find a definitive answer on the boots; so many of my YOUNG (7, 8 years) riders want to wear tall boots, when I think they should be in jods. The “older” riders (11, 12 years, etc.) I am not sure about what is best for them… I think 13 & under is appropriate for tall boots…. But looking at the photos from the Arabian Youth Nationals, even the 10 & under riders have tall boots, and to me, that is just not appropriate for kids that age!! What do ya’ll think?
LOL Drsgjunky, very funny! You have mail, btw.
I am getting geared up to start posting topics on my own blog regularly again, after a month’s hiatus. But I always love FHOTD posts and comments.
Is there a way to subscribe to comments in order to get them in your email like Blogger? That made it so easy to know what I wanted to reply to, and formulate responses before coming over to post.
This comment moderation does take away a lot of the “conversational” aspect of the blog, which makes it a bit less fun, though.
I show on the “A” circuit in BC, and have to say that when starting out and buying equipment, and show gear, especially if you are on a budget, or aren’t sure if you want to keep doing it, don’t follow the ‘trends’ that a lot of the kids on the circuit are following… stick to classics, and budget to get the best you can afford, but in a style/cut/colour that will hold up, is comfortable, and won’t go out of fashion. It is one thing for a junior to get a flashy coat in an ‘it’ colour, when they know they will just get a new one (or two or three) the next year, but another thing when you are planning on using that coat for the next few years. Navy blues and dark browns are nice and classic, as well as a pale or white show shirt. Long sleeve show shirts are preferable (to me at least
to short sleeves, as they make an outfit look that much more put together. As for tall boots, a lot of people have custom boots, but there are also some very nice off the rack ones that look and feel nice too. Check out local forums as well, there are some really good deals on quality equipment if you look… I just bought a pair of almost new Konig field boots for a fraction of their new cost, $40 to have the calves taken in and they will fit almost like custom! Another point, go to a tailor, and spend the $20 to have an off the rack coat taken in! That first impression does count when you go into the ring, and a neat and clean appearance does give you bonus points! My mare turns yellow if she is left out in the sun, so to ensure she stays a nice colour, I always have her sunscreened or in a nose to tail ‘kool koat’, again it keeps her looking clean and well cared for, and that is also very important for that first impression!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=2761263&id=542319575
Basically, put the time in, and don’t overlook the little details like polished boots, and clean markings and the judge will appreciate it!
Btw, fugs, some very good points made by you!
aficat,
My bad, it’s MidwestHorseTalk. Oops- sorry about that. I just checked, and it’s alive and well.
Most people on that forum are from Minnesota. Hop in, introduce yourself, join in on the threads, and I bet you’ll find some local friends and horse events to check out. Good luck!
A little off topic, but for me, the worst part of a horse show is if you have a horse that doesn’t want to get in the trailer to go home and suddenly you are the STAR of the horse show. Everyone gathers to watch. People you’ve never met will walk right up and practically take the leadrope from you or start flailing a whip in the air or start smacking your horse on the butt. Or worse, will walk up and give the horse (who is being naughty by refusing to load) a carrot, and then give you another carrot to lure him in with. Wow, like I’ve never thought of THAT inefficient idea before in my million years of horses. I’ve actually had people come right up in my trailer with me and start telling me what will work, like they know me and my horse. Please please PLEASE just leave me alone and stop adding to my horse’s stress about loading by surrounding him with people he doesn’t know! And, when I politely ask you to leave so I can load my horse, that does not mean to step back 20 feet and then continue to stand there behind the horse and watch. The horse CAN still see you and now is distracted by wondering what you’re doing back there!
BadPuddyTat, what an excellent post! May I copy it & use it? “Being competitive does not translate in to being an asshole to others.” Yeah!
MissouriPassage, I suspect that the tinies in high boots have rich parents. Personally, I think the right age to switch is the age at which your feet stop growing!
And, will someone tell me if there is a company that makes ladies’ boots in *wide*? Or, in mixed sizes? Technically, I’m a D width with a AA heel. Am I doomed to custom made boots? I don’t want my heels to be slopping around…
Ruthie
StPetersgal, you may use that phrase with my blessing. My thoughts are that phrase should be a banner above the show barn entrance, and then above the entrance in to the arena. IN BOLD CAPS.
As family, friends and mentors, we should not only teach that concept, we should be the example.
When I was showing, my competition was some of my dearest friends. When the time came for ribbons (if I made the finals), I was aiming for First. And so were they. If I got placed further back, I accepted my ribbon with dignity and then cheered on the friends who remained.
As for boots, I find that Ariat boots run rather wide.
If you (or anyone reading this) are in the western MA area in mid-November, the Equine Affaire will be at the Big E from Thurs Nov 12th to Sunday Nov 15th. There are several boot vendors (including Ricks Ranchwear!). The vendors are awesome at the Equine Affaire, as are the clinics.
Check out their website!
http://www.equineaffaire.com/massachusetts/index.html
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